(Yicai Global) June 7 -- Xinhua Semiconductor Materials Technology has completed its first mass-produced batches of high-purity silicon for use in integrated circuits, representing the first time China has supplied such material of an international first-class level.

The Xuzhou-based firm has begun supplies to domestic wafer processing plants as well as completing its first export to South Korea, Science and Technology Daily reported.

The development of domestic electronic-grade polycrystalline silicon producers is a key part of efforts in China to reduce the integrated circuit sector's dependency on imports of the material in the long-term.

Electronic-grade polycrystalline silicon possesses the highest purity among polycrystalline silicon materials. Solar grade silicon requires 99.9999 percent purity while electronic-grade material must be pure to 99.999999999 percent. In other words, the impure content of 5,000 tons of electronic-grade materials is equal to the weight of a one-yuan coin.

Xinhua Semiconductor received joint investment from China Integrated Circuit Industry Investment Fund and GCL-Poly Energy in December 2015, tasking the company with building China's first 5,000-ton SIC electronic-grade polycrystalline silicon production line. The company released its first electronic-grade polycrystalline silicon products late last year.

Capacity on Xinhua Semiconductor's production line is projected to cover domestic demand for the next three to five years. The enterprise aims to add another 5,000-ton line in the future to better serve markets at home and abroad.

Editor: William Clegg